Handle



w. A. SOMERS.

HANDLE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 19M].

1,343,967, Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

. Inbenior mu; 4%

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. S'OMERS, OF I-IAMDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOUNT CARMEL BRASS FOUNDRY WORKS, INC., OF HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

HANDLE.

Application filed November 19, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. SoMERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamden, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'in I-Iandles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a new and im proved handle of the type that is designed to be associated with alock or catch that is actuated by the rotation of the handle.

It is the object of this invention, among other things, to permanently and inseparably secure the grip portion of the handle to a spindle without the use of additional parts or members and thereby produce a unitary structure that will be rigid and withstand the maximum amount of wear without relative loosening of the parts, as well as to construct the two parts of different metals so that one of the parts, by reason of the pressures to which it is subjected, during the securing of the parts together will become hardened and resist wear of one of the parts againstthe other.

To these, and other ends, my invention consists in the handle having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will hereinafter be described and more particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in the several figures;

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of my improved handle;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view thereof upon line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view with the sectional portion taken upon line 33 of F ig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the spindle.

In the illustration of my invention I have chosen a handle that is designed for use with the latch of a motor vehicle door. Handles for this purpose are subject to hard wear and a very severe torsional strainat the point of connection between the grip member and the spindle of the latch. Under the present general practice the two members are secured together by placing the iron or steel spindle in a mold and then Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

erial No. 339,193.

casting the soft metal handle around it. Before doing this, however, it is usual to heat to a red heat the spindle and then allow it to cool. This produces a scale which assists the molten metal to adhere thereto. An alternative method is to coat the spindle with tin which also requires the heating thereof. Under both of these practices the scale must be removed from the spindle, which reduces to an uncertain degree the size thereof. As it is requisite that the spindles should all be of an exact size, this is a very serious objection as there is no certainty that the spindle will fit the latch hub. As the softer metal in its molten state forming the grip member strikes the cool spindle in the mold, air holes and bubbles are formed in the grip member, thereby produc' ing an unsound casting and an imperfect union between the parts. These air holes, bubbles and defects frequently remain un discovered until after considerable labor has been applied in completing the device, so that not only the spindle and grip member as a unit must be discarded as waste but the labor placed thereon is also lost. These methods, it is obvious are both uncertain and expensive. To obviate these, and other difficulties and still provide a rigid permanent connection between the parts I have de vised the handle herein shown and described.

In the drawings the reference numeral 10 designates the latch spindle which is invariably square in cross section and at the end to which the handle is to be attached I undercut the corners thereof to form the notches 11, the deeper portion of the notches being distant from the end of the spindle. All of the metal of the spindle between these notches and upon the flat sides thereof remains undisturbed.

The grip member 12, which is grasped by the hand, is provided with a shank 13 having at the outer end thereof a socket It with the same cross section as that of the spindle 12 and of such relative size as to preferably require a slight pressure upon the spindle to force it into the socket.

After assembly of the spindle 10 and grip member 12 pressure is applied upon the exterior of the shank 13 over that portion containing the spindle and the metal uponthe inside of the shank 13 flows into and fills the notches 11, after which the exterior of the socket is finished to size. The parts are now permanently and rigidly secured together, the squared faces of the spindle l0 and the socket 14L in contact with each other, making a tight fit, which is supplemented in its holding relation by the engagement of the portions of the shank 13 with the notches 11. As the grip member 12 is made of copper, brass, bronze, or similar material the pressure required to compress the shank portion 13 into the notches 11 hardens the shank at this point and thereby provides additional means for withstanding the wear thereon by reason of the torsional strain be-' end cut at an angle to the length of said spindle, the deepest portion thereof being distant from the end of said spindle; and a grip member provided with a shank having a socket with a cross section the same as the said spindle and fitting it snugly, which shank is compressed so that portions of the corners of said socket between the ends thereof enter the cut corners of said spindle and thereby form an interlocking inseparable engagement between said spindle and grip member.

In testimony whereof, afiiXed my signature.

WILLIAM A. SOMERS.

I have hereunto 

